Cat Tales – Zooey (Torn Ligament)

The moment you lay eyes on Zooey, you know she has a story to tell. In 2014, her future owner, Karen, adopted her from the Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood, Oregon. She was so adorable as a kitten that it’s amazing she lasted more than a day in the shelter! In fact, since her most prominent features are her large eyes, Karen decided to name her Zooey after the actress Zooey Deschanel.

Soon after Karen adopted Zooey, we met her at her first visit with us in the clinic where one of our technicians recommended that Karen consider signing her up for pet insurance, which she did. From the start, Zooey was a ball of energy with the balance and form a of a gymnast . She tested her skills by walking on the edges of drawers and sashaying along the top of the flat screen TV (a.k.a. her own little private balance beam!). Then, she learned to scale the wooden laundry rack and tip-toe along the dowels, eventually creating a hammock made from the clothes hanging between the slats.

One day, after playing with her housemate, Zooey started to limp on one of her rear legs. After a trip to CCP for an exam and some x-rays, Dr. Cornwell confirmed that she had torn her cruciate ligament (an injury most common to football players rather than gymnasts… but that didn’t occur to Zooey). Because of the nature of her injury, we recommended that Karen visit an orthopedic specialist as well. Thankfully, Karen knew that if surgery was the outcome, then she would have financial support from the coverage through her pet insurance.

Instead of surgery, however, Zooey’s fate was sealed in the form of a large metal dog crate. To expedite the healing process, she was ordered into strict confinement for 3 weeks. As you can imagine, that is an eternity for a little gymnast (not to mention her guardian who found her to be a rather messy tenant). After 21 days, Zooey was released from the crate, and while she was better, she still wasn’t totally healed. Unfortunately, she re-injured herself and had to return to the crate for another round of confinement in order to protect her leg. In fact, her total time in the crate was 9 weeks! Thanks to Karen’s love for her and her dedication to her recovery, she was finally able to heal and get back to a normal life.

Since Zooey’s release back into their home, she has gradually gotten stronger and back into tip-top shape. She is even performing all her usual aerial, balance beam, and tight-rope tricks. The little gymnast is back!